Hello, friends! I’m sorry I’ve been away for so long. Right after the holidays I moved my family to another city and have spent the past two months trying to unpack and get my kids settled in new schools and making new friends. It’s been more of a challenge than I anticipated! But things are running a little more smoothly now, allowing me time to pop in her to give a quick update on a few things.

Thing #1: Great news from abroad! Edenbrooke and Blackmoore are both published in Spanish and French. They are beautiful! And Edenbrooke won the Dama Prize 2014 for the best historical romance! I was also invited by my Spanish publishers to visit their lovely country this summer. Oooh, I am so tempted! I am itching for another trip abroad.

Thing #2: The question of the year: am I writing something new? The answer: yes and no. I am in the dreaming stage of my next story. The writing stage will come next, and soon, but it will take me a while. By “a while” I mean close to a year, most likely. And then probably another year to get it published. So I’m sorry to all of you who are clamoring for another story soon! I hope you’ll be patient with me as I put my family first and try to figure out writing with five kids, including the cutest baby on earth who is crawling all over the place and saying “mama” and loving to be with me. I would love it if you would continue to share my books with friends and family. THANK YOU to all of you who have made them more successful than I ever dreamed they could be.

Thing #3: The Edenbrooke jewelry is in danger of being discontinued, so if you had it in mind to buy a piece or two, you might want to do it relatively soon. I have links to the jeweler’s store on my store page.

Thing #4: Are you a writer? Do you dream of being published? I highly recommend the LDStorymaker’s Writers Conference, which can be found here. It’s held in Provo, Utah on May 15th and 16th. I will be in attendance as a student and am so excited by the authors they will have this year, including a YA author I really look up to, Martine Leavitt. I bought my tickets this year JUST to attend one of her workshops. She is phenomenally talented.

Now before I sign out, I’m curious to know: if you could ask me to write a story about anything or anywhere, what would it be?

I received the cutest email from a reader a couple of weeks ago. She told me this story: “One of my favorite things to do is read [Edenbrooke] with others. Last year, for my birthday, I spent 2(ish) days reading it aloud to/with my mother in law & a few of my sisters in law. In fact, I had to drive back over to their house one more morning to finish it up. They were all already there, just waiting for me. Well, the doorbell rang & 3 grown women ran to the door & threw it open (all the while squeeling)…scaring a poor UPS man. Soooo funny! I came about 20 minutes later haha!”

I had a good laugh about that. So when she asked me next if I would consider a holiday sale on the Edenbrooke print, I had to say yes as payment for the laugh she gave me. So from now until December 10th, all Edenbrooke prints are on sale, half off, for $5.00. How’s that for Christmas cheer?

Now you know how to get me to do things for you. 😉 Do you have a funny story about my books? Share it in the comments and I’ll enter you in a drawing to receive a free audio book of Edenbrooke. Just cause I love y’all.

Thank you all for all of your lovely comments about being patient for my next book. It soothes my soul. It really does. And I’m glad so many of you are excited about the art print! I had the random number generator choose a winner, and it is Jenn Benando. Congratulations Jenn! Please message me your mailing address at donaldson.julianne@gmail.com.

I’ll check in again in the next couple of weeks. Until then, have a great Thanksgiving!!

I know that all you really want to know about is my next book. But I have nothing for you on that topic. I’m sorry, really and truly. But to try to assuage your frustrations, I have a couple other things to offer you.

First, I have book signings in anticipation of Christmas gifting! Check my events page for places and times.

Second, I have a little store on this site, and on that store I have links to the Edenbrooke/Blackmoore inspired jewelry PLUS something totally new and original, which is displayed at the top of this post. I think it’s gorgeous, and I think you could order one for your best friend or sister or mother and put it in a nice frame (or a cheap frame, or a cheap frame that you decorate yourself) and it would make such a lovely Christmas gift. It was designed by my talented brother-in-law and printed on glossy, high quality paper. So please go check it out! There’s a link to the store somewhere on this home page. (If the store doesn’t work, send me a message!)

And in the spirit of thanksgiving, I’m doing a giveaway! Make a comment and/or share this post with your friends and I’ll enter you into a drawing for a print. I know this isn’t much, but considering all the busy-ness of my current life, this is all I can offer you. And I offer it to you with my heart full of gratitude for you, you precious, darling readers.

I love getting mail from readers, but I rarely feel like I have time to respond personally to each one. But I thought I would address some commonly asked questions.

1. Movie news. So many readers would love to see Marianne or Kate’s story on the big screen. I don’t own the movie rights for either of my books, so I have no control over whether a movie gets made or who gets to write the screenplay or which actors will play the characters. The only news I have right now is that there is no news. No one has optioned the movie rights at this point. And that’s okay! I would love to see a movie version done RIGHT, and if that means it doesn’t happen immediately, so be it.

2. Translations of the books. My agent and a foreign rights agency have worked really hard to sell foreign translation rights to both of my books. Right now the Spanish edition of Edenbrooke is available online at Amazon.com, Kobo.com, iBookstore, Googleplay, Barnes&Noble. It is also available printed in Spanish bookshops as well as the publisher’s website, www.librosdeseda.com. So if you live in Spain, go find it! If you live anywhere else, find it online! And then please leave a review so others will know it’s a good story. 🙂 Up next: French, with Japanese and Slovene and Turkish and other languages to follow.

3. My next project. The question of the year has been, “Are you writing something else?” After taking a year off of writing to grow a really cute baby, I am itching to start a new story! I’m not ready to share details yet, but rest assured that I am working on something, and keep coming back here for more news. I will also be announcing some pre-Christmas book signings, so stay tuned!

So, life got away from me, and it’s been hard to log on here to announce the winner of the giveaway. (In my defense: Cute baby. Four other kids. Summertime. You know what I mean.) But better late than never, right?

Anyway, thank you all so much for your winning ideas for Edenbrooke and Blackmoore jewelry! I passed them along to the jewelry designer and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with.

And the winner of the giveaway is (according to Random Number Generator)…

Carrie Turansky

Carrie, please email me at donaldson.julianne@gmail.com and let me know which book you would like signed and where I can send it. I can’t promise it will get there quickly (babies. kids. family reunions. chores. you know what I mean.), but I will send it! Eventually. 🙂

First of all, I recently finished my work-in-progress, and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever created. This is how I’ve spent the past two and a half weeks. (See cute baby below.) Bliss. Pure maternal bliss.

Second: Edenbrooke is being translated into Spanish and will be released by the Spanish publisher Libros de Seda this fall. Check out their beautiful cover! (Click on the image to enlarge.)

Third: Just in time for summer reading, Edenbrooke and Blackmoore digital books are at the low price of $4.99 on Amazon. I don’t know how long this sweet deal will last, so if you want an e-book version of either one, now is the time to snatch it up!

Fourth: A talented jewelry designer wants to design jewelry for Edenbrooke and Blackmoore fans! But they’re looking for direction, and I am so sleep-deprived and brain-dead (see cute baby above) that I really need some good ideas. In fact, I need your input so much that I’m going to bribe you. Everyone who gives me an idea for jewelry for Edenbrooke and/or Blackmoore will be entered into a giveaway of a signed copy of either book. So leave your ideas in the comments, please, and in one week I’ll randomly choose a winner.

I get a lot of people asking me what I’m working on right now. You have all been very patient as I’ve been kind of out of it the last six months or so. To reward you, I’m giving you a sneak peak of my current work in progress:

I know, I know…I’m a bit behind on this post. By about 10 days. I think that’s my average rate of procrastination. Plus, everything is crazy right now! Every day I wake up and my body says to me, “Say what? I am 38 years old and you got yourself pregnant a FIFTH time? What were you smoking? (Nothing. I don’t smoke. Never have.) Well, listen, girl, that is some crazy foolishness you’ve signed on for because did you know they are going to cut you open AGAIN? Do you remember how messed up you looked after they cut you open the last three times? And don’t embarrass me again and go begging the doctor not to paralyze you when he gives you that spinal tap. You signed up for this, now you best suck it up and deal with it. Mmmm. Hmmm. But as for me, I’m going to get all sorts of whacky on you and I’m going to get exhausted every day at noon and you’re going to beg for an IV of Diet Coke to keep you going day after day and then you’ll have me ADDICTED to something and then I’ll really be getting in your face, cause you KNOW I don’t like to get addicted to stuff and girl….(shakes head)….girl. You just wait. You don’t even know what a world of trouble you’ve gotten yourself into.”

So, that’s what my body sounds like right now. Which is why I’ve had to cancel some signings and why I laugh in the face of everyone who asks me what I’m writing currently. Ha! Ha ha! Ha! I am creating a human being with MY BODY, people. There is nothing left over for writing at this time. Now, now. Don’t cry. Really. Life will go on. I will write again. There are lots of years of writing left in this brain. Unless I die on the operating table. In which case, I probably won’t write again.

But on to more pleasant things: the Goodreads Choice Award! Thank you all SO much for your votes and for encouraging others to vote too. You guys are the best! Unfortunately, we didn’t make it into the final round. 🙁 But fortunately, there is still a winner of the giveaway! The random number generator chose Jen Kaufman as the lucky winner of Blackmoore on “tape.” Congratulations, Jen! Please send me a message (donaldson.julianne@gmail.com) with your snail mail address and I’ll send it off about ten days later than I should. 🙂

Last but not least, have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! Eat lots, enjoy family and friends, and know that you are all on my list of things I’m thankful for!